Daughter of Mine
by SkyGem
Summary: Sequel/Epilogue to 'Hidden Himesama.' Have you ever wondered why Linn treated Ryoma the way she did? Well, take a looksie in here, and maybe you'll understand. Royal Pair wedding. Set about 4 years after the ending of 'Hidden Himesama.'
1. Wedding Announcement

SkyeSyren: Hey guys! Well, people have been asking me for a sequel to Hidden Hime-sama, and so, here it is. Though it isn't really a sequel, so much as an epilogue. It won't be that long, about 5 chapters, possibly less, and this will show you into Ryoma's mothers life, and maybe you'll finally find out why she treated Ryoma the way she did in the first story. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own TenniPuri.

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**Lee Cheung Linn**

I looked down at the piece of stiff stationary in my hands and read the words on it again, tears slipping silently down my face.

_You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of_

_Echizen Ryoma-sama_

_And_

_Atobe Keigo-sama_

_On Tuesday afternoon_

_June the 21__st_

_At 4 o'clock_

_XX Street, Taiwan_

_Followed by a reception._

I had read it over hundreds of times already, and still, the words did not seem real. My daughter, my baby, was getting married, and at the young age of 20. It hurt me to think of everything I had-and would-missed out on. Meeting her first boyfriend, celebrating her sweet sixteen, arranging her wedding, meeting the grandchildren, pampering the little ones. Oh, how I ached for it all, how I ached for that which I could not have. Now, you who have read the first installment of this story must be confused. Lee Cheung Linn is the cold-hearted mother of the beautiful heroine, so why is she so upset now? It all started years before the beginning of this story, back in my childhood…

_Flashback_

"_Kyahaha, it's Linn! Linn's coming!" squealed a girl with red pigtails as I approached._

_Shyly looking down at my feet, I fidgeted nervously, asking quietly, "C-can I play too?"_

_At this, all the girls started squealing, and a slightly pudgy brunette asked, "Who would want to play with someone like you? My mommy says that you're an i-leg-ti-mat child, and that I shouldn't play with you."_

_Fighting the disappointment, I just smiled sadly and said, "T-that's okay, I-I'll just play by m-myself."_

_Turning around, I headed home, tears staining my face._

_Arriving at my home, I reached up, and opened the door, walking in. Looking around, I saw that the lights were off, and the only sound came from the television, which was turned to one of my mom's dramas. When I passed through the living to get to the stairs leading up to my bedroom, she didn't even bat an eyelash, though I was positive she had noticed me._

_Arriving at my room, I fell onto my bed and cried my hear out, eventually crying myself to sleep._

_End Flashback_

My childhood was a lonely one, with a mother that never paid attention to me, but only to her little princess, her legal child, and with no friends to help lift my spirits in those dreary times. The happiest day of my life was probably the day Ryoma was born…

_Flashback_

"_Miss Linn, you can see you're baby girl now! And what a gem she is!" said the nurse, handing me my beautiful baby daughter. Looking at her inquisitive eyes and her tufts of soft, black hair, I immediately fell in love with her. _

_Hugging her to my chest, I made gentle clicking noises with my tongue, earning a smile from the little angel. Her smile was something magic; it lit up her entire face, little dimples forming in her cheeks._

_Over the next years, she was my main priority. I spoiled her, giving her everything she asked for, and yet, she remained as sweet tempered as always, not the slightest bit selfish, she was perfect. My life was perfect. Then, it happened. On her first day of school, she came home, crying that some kids had been making fun of her. It was then that I made the biggest mistake of my life. Instead of encouraging her and comforting her like I should have, I hardened my heart, and scolded her for being so weak. My love for her was strong, but stronger yet was my need to protect her. After that day, our relationship changed. She became afraid of me, and I became strict with her, and yet, she remained as she had always been, a perfect angel. By the time I realized the mistake I had made, it had already been too late. The damage had been done, and my daughter was no longer in China, but was starting a new life with her father and brother in Japan._

_End Flashback_

Suddenly, the ringing of the telephone broke into my memories, and I wiped my tears away before picking it up. "Moshi moshi?"

There was silence on the other end, but, as I was about to hang up in frustration, a voice spoke up. "Mother?"

"R-Ryoma? I asked in shock.

She hesitated at first, then asked, "I trust you got the invitation?"

I nodded before remembering that she couldn't see me, then said, "Yes. It arrived just this morning."

"Ah, that's good," she said, sounding relieve. Then, after a moment of silence, she said, "Um, m-mother?"

"Yes?" I asked expectantly.

"I-I was wondering if you w-wouldn't mind coming with me t-to pick out a dress?"

I was silent for a moment, trying to take this in. Once the full extent of what she had just said hit me, I realized that this was a blessing in disguise, a possible chance to regain what I had long ago lost. I could not make another mistake.

Swallowing nervously, I said, "Yes, dear, I would love to help you pick out your wedding dress."

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SkyeSyren: So, what did you think of this first chapter? Please review and tell me what you thought, and until next time, ciao!


	2. The Proposal

SkyeSyren: Hey all! Sorry it took so long to update. Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one too.

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**Ryoma**

It was almost time to go pick out the wedding dress with my mother, and I was incredibly nervous.

"Come on, Ryoma-chan, don't look so upset. I promise, it'll be fine! We'll be there too, okay?" said Sakuno. She and Tomo had come with me to Taiwan to help me plan the wedding.

"I-I guess," I said.

Suddenly, Tomo rushed in, wearing a cute outfit. "Come on guys! We're going to be late!" said Tomo, pulling me out the front door, Sakuno following. This was their first time here in Taiwan, and they were both incredibly excited. Atobe and I had decided to hold the wedding here because he had some kind of weird determination for me to make up with my mother. He was the only reason I had invited her to come with me to pick out the dress.

As the limo pulled out of the long driveway, Tomo said in an exasperated voice, "Geez! You look more nervous about the dress than the actual wedding!"

"T-that's not true!" I said. The truth was, I was **very** nervous about the wedding. I mean, I was getting married to the man I loved more than life itself in a month! How could I not be worried? It was just that my nervousness about seeing my mother again had driven that entirely different nervousness out of my mind.

Sakuno laughed. "She's just kidding. We know better than anyone how excited you are. We were the first ones you told, after all. Your expression was so funny when you came back from your date.

I couldn't deny what she was saying. The three of us finally had time off from our busy schedules and we had had a girls' night planned, which was why they were at my house when I got home from my date with Atobe.

_Flashback_

_As I put the finishing touches on my makeup, one of the maids came to let me know that Keigo had arrived. It was the fourth year anniversary of the day we had started going out, and Kei had invited me to a dinner at one of our favourite restaurants._

_Going out to meet him, I saw that he was dressed fancier than usual today. He was wearing a black, silk tuxedo with a lavender shirt underneath, and a black tie. He usually dressed a bit more casually for our dates and I suddenly felt self-conscious about the simple pink dress and matching flats I had decided to wear._

"_Hey Kei-chan," I said, going up and giving him a quick peck on the lips. "You should have told me this was a formal occasion. Now I'm underdressed."_

_After helping me into the passenger side of the car, he walked around and got into the drivers seat. "Nonsense. You look lovely."_

_Even after all these years, hearing him give me compliments still made my heart flutter._

_We talked like that the whole way, and before I knew it, we were already at the restaurant._

_It was quite a popular restaurant where you had to make reservations weeks in advance, but the staff there knew us well, and when he saw us, the maitre'd didn't even have to ask us for our names, instead saying, "Ah, Atobe-sama, Echizen-sama, we've been expecting you."  
_

_All in all, it was a pretty normal dinner. We ordered our meals, talked about what was going on in our lives, but, because it was so normal, I was that much more surprised when, at the end of our meal, he got down on one knee and took my hand._

_It happened so suddenly, I was left dazed. One moment, I was getting up to head home and the next, Keigo was on one knee, looking at me with his beautiful eyes. I couldn't believe what was happening. My heart was pounding so loudly in my ears, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hear what he said. Everything in the room disappeared, and there was only him._

_Then, he opened his mouth, and said in a clear voice. "Echizen Ryoma, you are the only woman for me. I love you so much; I can literally no longer survive without you. So, will you do me the honour of being my bride?"_

_The emotions that flooded my heart then were so intense, I could barely respond. Tears of joy flooded over onto my cheeks as I stammered, "Y-yes!"_

_His face broke into a blissful smile, and amid all the cheers of the people listening, he slid the beautiful engagement ring onto my left ring finger. Throwing my arms around his neck I hugged him tight, suddenly speechless._

_End Flashback_

Suddenly, I was snapped out of my memories by Sakuno gently shaking me. "Ryoma-chan! We're here!"

"What?" I said, looking around.

Sighing, Tomo said, "We've arrived at your mom's house. Now come on!"

"A-ah. Hai," I said, getting out.

As I slowly walked up the driveway to the house of my childhood, old memories came flooding into my mind.

Arriving at the front door, I took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell.

After a few moments of silence, the door swung open and there stood my mother.

Smiling sweetly, she threw her arms around me in a clumsy but gentle embrace, saying, "Oh, Ryoma, it's been so long! It's so good to see you!"

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SkyeSyren: So, what did y'all think? Did you like it? This chapter was mostly just a flashback, but it was tons of fun to write! Please, do review and tell me what you thought, and I'll see you all next time! Sayonara!


	3. Apologies

**Ryoma**

I was bewildered. Well and truly bewildered. If, an hour ago, someone had told me that I would be in my mother's arms, being treated like any other bride-to-be, I would have laughed and called them insane. And yet, here I was, standing in front of my mothers Taiwan house, being hugged almost to death.

When she let go of me, she smiled sweetly at me (a real smile!) and said, "You've grown so much! Oh, I hope we can find a good dress. I don't think we'll be able to find one pretty enough to compete with you, sweetheart."

I was speechless. Absolutely speechless.

She smiled at me again and said, "So, where are we going first?"

Shaking out of it, I blinked once to compose myself. "A-ah. We're going to…" and I began listing the three or four shops that we'd be going to today."

Nodding in a businesslike way, she said, "Well, come on then! That dress isn't going to buy itself, you know!"

As she walked ahead of us to the limo, I trailed behind with Sakuno and Tomo.

"I thought you said she was mean?" asked Tomo uncertainly.

"I'm just as confused as you are," I replied quietly.

Once we got into the limo, we began talking about other things. My mom asked me about how school was, whether I was going to university or not, how Ryoga was, and so on and so on.

By the time we arrived at the store, we were all talking and laughing like old friends and for the first time that I could remember, I actually enjoyed spending time with my mother.

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We spent the rest of the day going from store to store, looking at dresses and eventually settled for a unique little design from a cozy little store on the corner of the store. The dress design was absolutely beautiful. It was strapless and flared out at the hips like a ballgown. The skirt itself had pleats and the pleats were black with pink floral design in them. The bodice was a plain white except for a pink floral design outlining the neckline and on the bosom.

The store didn't have the dress, it would instead be made especially for me and would be delivered to my mother's house when it was done.

After our shopping was done, we dropped my mother home and upon her request, I came inside, but Tomo and Sakuno preferred to head back to the mansion, meaning I was all alone with my mother.

As we sat in the kitchen, eating a light afternoon snack, the easy chatter of the day was gone and a tense silence sat upon us.

I couldn't find anything to say.

Finishing my cup of tea, I looked up, about to suggest a topic, only to see my mother staring with me, her eyes full of tears.

"Mom?" I asked, panicking a little.

She let out a small laugh, wiping the tears away.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

She gave me a wobbly smile. "I'm fine sweetheart, it's just, when I think of what I put you through all those years, it breaks my heart."

I stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

Her smile wobbled a bit, but stayed in place. "Ryoma, honey, you may not understand now, but you see, to any mother, her first instinct is to protect her child at all costs."

I nodded slowly, wondering what this had to do with anything.

"It was the same with me," she continued. "You see, when you were born, it was one of the happiest days of my life. You were the sweetest child, and I loved you with all my heart, I still do, in fact. But you see, I grew up not knowing my father. I was always bullied because of it, and my mother, she didn't do a thing."

I stared at my mother, my eyes wide. I had never heard anything of this.

She took a deep breath to steady herself but still, the tears sprang to her eyes and flowed over onto her face. "W-when it started with you, I had to make a decision. Either try to protect you, or ignore you so that you could grow strong by yourself. Do or die, right?" she said, letting out a sad little laugh. "I would have protected you if I could, but I knew I couldn't protect you from everything. Believe me, I tried. So, I thought that the only way would be to let you learn by yourself." By now, the tears were streaming non-stop down her face. "I-I know what I did was wrong, and it took me far too long to realize it, but please, can you hide it in your heart to forgive me?"

I was speechless for a moment. Then, I felt a wetness on my hand and looked down to see that a tear had escaped. It hurt, remembering all those cruel things she had done to me, but it hurt even more to realize that she had done it all out of love, and that I hadn't known it all these years. What hurt the most by far, though, was seeing my mother cry.

All these years, I had seen her as a strong woman, now, she just looked like a fragile lady, begging for forgiveness.

Getting up, I went over to her and wrapped my arms around her, putting my cheek against he rhead. We stayed like that for a little while then I pulled away and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Of course I forgive you. You're my mother, aren't you?" I asked, tears still blurring my vision.

She nodded and we were quiet for a moment, then we both burst out laughing.

I felt suddenly refreshed, the way you usually felt after a good, long, cry.

For the rest of the day, as my mother and I talked and laughed, had some mother-daughter bonding time, the whole time, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

I felt like the happiest girl in the world.

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DemonicEmbrace: What did you all think? Please review, and I'll try to update asap.


	4. Kiss the Bride

**Atobe**

I was feeling very nervous. I had just gotten off the phone with Ryoma, and I had found out that she and her mother had made up. Of course, I was really happy for her, but now, I had to officially meet Linn. Thus the cause of my stress.

What if she didn't like me? I didn't want my new mother-in-law to hate me! What if she didn't think I was good enough for her daughter?

The entire 3 hours it took me to get from the Atobe main mansion in Japan to Ryoma's mother's house in Taiwan, I was worrying my head off, but when actually got there, and the door was answered by a puffy eyed Ryoma, I forgot it all in an instant.

"Ryoma!" I said, cradling her face in my hands. "You've been crying! What happened?"

I ran my hand through her hair, patting her arms, her back, her legs to make sure she hadn't gotten hurt, or broken anything.

Laughing happily, she said, "I'm fine! Now come on! Linn is waiting!"

Once again, all my worries came rushing back into my mind. As Ryoma pulled me into the living room, I saw a woman sitting there. She looked pretty young for her age, like she was in her early thirties. Her hair was about waist-length, chocolate brown, and feathery. Her eyes were dark brown and her skin pale. She was quite pretty.

When we entered the living room, she looked over at me, her face expressionless.

Getting up, she came up to me and scrutinized me. After a few moments, a smile lit up her entire face and she reached up to hug me.

When she let go, she said, "Looks like my daughter's got herself quite a catch. Good looking, and from what I can see, very caring. It's good to finally meet you, Keigo."

Blushing a little at her praise, I said, "A pleasure to meet you too, Linn-san."

She smiled. "Ryoma tells me your mother died when you were young. If it doesn't bother you too much, you are free to call me mother."

Again, I blushed, and said, "M-mother."

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**Ryoma**

Seeing my mother and my fiance interact so nicely together, I couldn't help but smile.

For the rest of the day, the three of us hung out together, and Keigo and I eventually convinced my mother to move into the Taiwan mansion with us until the wedding. After that, my mother, Sakuno, Tomo, and I were inseperable. We spent every free minute (not including my "alone time" with Keigo) planning for the wedding and, before any of us realized it, it was the day of, and I was sitting in my large bathroom as my mother and the girls fixed my hair and make-up.

My hair was intricately braid and wound into a simple bun on my head. It had taken a full hour to fix it just right, and as they helped me slip on my wedding dress, we had to be extra careful not to undo all our hardwork.

Taking deep breaths, I kept looking at the clock every five minutes.

"I-I'm so nervous. i don't think I can do this," I said, just twenty minutes before the ceremony, which was being held on the first floor of the mansion. "I'm too nervous."

"You'll be fine," my mother said, kissing me on the forehead. "Just remember. Keigo is down there and he's waiting for you."

I nodded, trying to calm myself.

"Now," said Tomoka, delicately putting on my tiara. "Let's see if we have everything. Your dress is new, your tiara was belonged to both your mother and your grandmother, so it's something old, your bouquet is blue, and...oh no! We don't have anything borrowed!" she shouted. "How could we forget something borrowed!" She was in full panic mode. "What are we going to do!"

This only made me stress more. It was a small thing, but I was worried anyways. My nerves were strung so tightly.

"How about this?" asked Sakuno, taking off the necklace she was wearing around her neck. She smiled serenely. "I wore this on my wedding day." Sakuno and Kaido-sempai had gotten married just three months ago.

My eyes widened. That necklace was so special to her, and that she was willing to let me borrow it really touched me.

"Really?" I asked.

Still smiling, she came over to me and put her arms around me, tying the necklace around my neck.

When she was done, she kissed me once on the cheek, saying, "Of course, Ryoma-chan. This necklace is a very important item for me, and you're a very important friend of mine." She laughed. "Though you're definitely much more important than a necklace."

I felt as if I might cry, but Tooka said, "Ryoma-chan, don't! You'll ruin your makeup!"

Sucking it up, I smiled once, and said, "Thank you so much."

Suddenly, my mother interrupted, saying, "Girls, it's time! I'm going to go take my seat downstairs."

She kissed me once before leaving to go downstairs.

Just as I was about to leave, Tomo said, "Wait!"

I turned to look at her curiously and she smiled. "You forgot your veil."

Reaching over, they gently put it on and lowered it over my face.

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**Nanjiro**

I was waiting by the stairs for the ceremony to start when I noticed Linn slip into the crowd. Suddenly, I felt my heart speed up and a slight blush crept onto my face. She looked quite beautiful today.

Before I had time to ponder these developments any further, everyone was in their seats and the music began playing as the two maids of honour, dressed beautifully in green, knee-length dresses, gracefully made their way down the stairs, the beautiful bride following after.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, I held out my arm and my daughter took it. Before I had known about Ryoma, I had never given a thought to how I would never be able to walk a daughter down the isle, but now, I was so grateful to have not missed out on this opportunity.

As I gave her hand over to her groom, and listened to them give their vows, I felt as if I would burst into tears. I had never in my life been so proud, and yet so lonely. My daughter now had another man to protect her. I would no longer be needed. Looking over at the best man, my son Ryoga, I could see he felt the same way.

My attention was snapped back to my daughter as I heard the closing words. "You may now kiss the bride."

As Keigo planted a passionate kiss on the lips of his beautiful new wife, the crowd burst into cheers and the tears I had been fighting so hard to keep back finally flowed over onto my face.

**_The End_**

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**-Omake-**

At the reception, as the newlyweds danced on the dance floor and shared another passionate kiss, somewhere else in the same building, another very different couple had locked lips. This couple consisted of a green-haired samurai, and a long, feathery haired brunette. Could this be the beginning of a new love?

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DemonicEmbrace: *Sigh* I really did have lots of fun writing this. It was fun to revisit this plotline, and these particular characters. It reminded me of how much fun writing Hidden Hime-sama. Anyways, many thanks to all of you that have stayed with this story until the end, please review one more time on this story, and be sure to check out some of my other works. Mata jiki ni ome ni kakaritai to omoimasu, minna-san.

P.S. I have a poll on my profile on what fic I should do next. If you haven't voted yet, go do it now!


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